Home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan presents his case before a modest gathering in a school compound at Orkkatteri near Vadakara.
Home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan presents his case before a modest gathering in a school compound at Orkkatteri near Vadakara.
He exhorts comrades to ensure the victory of P Sathi Devi, who won from Vadakara by the largest margin in the state in 2004. Five years ago, Orkkatteri – the entire Eramala panchayat, in fact – was a Red bastion. But it’s not a cakewalk anymore. The challenge comes not from the Congress, but from an estranged comrade.
Sathi Devi’s posters are outnumbered by TP Chandrasekharan’s. The CPI(M)’s former area secretary claims the support of over 80% party members in Eramala and three adjacent panchayats.
“We are contesting against the rightist deviation of CPI(M). At the same time, we are against the Congress. We hope to get over 60,000 votes,” Chandrasekharan says. If he proves right, Congress candidate Mullapalli Ramachandran will wrest the Red bastion.
Chandrasekharan’s coup was a local resistance against the Kozhikode district committee of the CPI(M), which wanted Eramala panchayat president N Venu to step down in favour of a Janata Dal (S) nominee. Resentment soon spread to the adjacent panchayats. The “Marxist Party”, a parallel apparatus complete with feeder organisations set up in July 2008, now has 102 branch committees across Eramala, Azhiyur, Chorode and Onjiyam panchayats.
“The movement will spread statewide. The discontented cadre of the CPI(M) will take it up,” Chandrasekharan says. He is one of the six candidates fighting the CPI(M) under the banner of the Left Coordination Committee.
In Palakkad, another CPI(M) stronghold, MR Murali could spike former comrade MB Rajesh’s chances of retaining the seat. Murali lacks the mass base of Chandrasekharan, but VS Achuthanandan loyalists might see him as a symbol.
The CPI(M)’s sitting MP in Palakkad, NN Krishna Das, dismissed the threat. “Palakkad is still a sure seat. Murali might get as many votes that go invalid. Chandrasekharan’s revolt is confined to a panchayat. If the polls were to a panchayat or the state assembly, we would have a problem. We are sure to consolidate as many votes to cover up these irritants,” he said.
But things are not that smooth for the faction-ridden cadre party. The rebels, be it Chandrasekharan or Murali, are hardcore fans of embattled CM Achuthanandan. While Pinarayi Vijayan called the rebels “traitors”, Achuthanandan invited them back to the party fold. In fact, Chandrasekharan and comrades fell from grace because of their loyalty to the veteran. “We hope to have Achuthanandan in our fold. Either the party has to correct itself or he has to come out,” Chandrasekharan says.
The CPI(M)’s prospects in Vadakara are further damaged by cross-voting by the JD(S). Despite the bonhomie between CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and JD(S) president Deve Gowda, both parties are at war in Kerala over seat sharing. JD(S) workers are publicly campaigning against CPI(M) candidates in Vadakara, Kozhikode, Alathur and Palakkad, where they have considerable presence.
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